One Thousand Grains of Sand
by jaderaid
Summary: One thousand grains of sand in the hourglass, one thousand drabbles... No pairings nor characters in particular. Shinobi have been captured, and only by telling a tale for every grain of sand in the hourglass can anyone survive.


**A/N: Based off a livejournal meme I received from the absolutely wonderful goddess of writing **_**i AM the Random Idiot**_** (the rules of which follow), I've decided to take it to a new level by doing every song in my library... still on shuffle, of course. Some are only based off the title, some have almost no relation to the song itself other than the initial idea it sparked. Because these are written only within the time limit of the songs themselves, they are not as eloquent as some might expect from me... apologies for that. Wish me well as I try to complete 990 more!**

**1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like  
****2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.  
****3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!  
****4. Do ten of these, then post them.**

**p.s. The introductions in each chapter are not part of the meme... they're there to tie everything together a la _One Thousand and One Arabian Nights_. The narrator, by the way, is NOT an original character... it is someone(s) we know. By the end of the story, we (should) find out exactly who it is.**

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_The daimyo leaned back on his throne and waved one hand imperiously. Rings glittered from his fingers, matching the greedy glimmer in his ebony eyes. A dark-skinned servant stepped forward, head lowered in submission and back bent as if he had never had the chance to lift his eyes, and set a tall hourglass atop a table near his master's hand. I stared at him then at the hourglass. Candlelight shone from its twin gold bases and shimmering sand, distracting my gaze._

_"One thousand grains of sand," the daimyo said, eyes flashing. "Tell me of your village and your allies."_

_I took a breath and began to speak._

**1. **_**Out on the Tiles **_**– Led Zeppelin **

"_What... the hell... do you think you're doing?" Tsunade, not hesitating to grab a towel, hauled back and punched her perverted partner in the nose. Cartilage snapped, blood flying through the air. _

_The warm steam of the hot spring was the only cover for her naked body, and her wet feet squeaked against the tile as she stalked her prey into the changing room._

"_At least try to be a little more subtle." With a huff, she reached past Jiraiya's head and casually draped a towel over her._

"Pervy Sage... Pervy Sage..." Naruto waved a hand in front of his _sensei_'s face. "You were saying...?"

-xXx-

**2. **_**Papercut**_** – Linkin Park**

"Ow!" Sasuke immediately jerked his hand back and brought his finger to his mouth. It stung so badly that tears sprang to his eyes, and he quickly turned away before his brother could see. Scissors and the remains of construction paper littered the table, lit by a single candle.

"Sasuke..." Itachi didn't stop cutting his paper or even look at him. "Did you cut yourself?"

"N-no..."

"You said 'ow,'" Itachi pointed out calmly, setting his scissors and paper on the table. In one swift motion, he took his paper and wrapped it around his brother's finger and taped it on. "It will hurt worse to pull it off."

-xXx-

****

3. _**Cuban Pete (Arkin Mix)**_** – The Mask [movie]**

Hips swaying, Tenten raised her hands into the air. Sweat flew from her bare arms and soaked her tank top, making it cling to her body with perspiration, but her loose pink skirt flowed outward. The swift-paced beat made her heart pound, and, almost mad with the heat of the dance floor, she extended one hand and pointed to her teammate.

Neji shook his head, eyes wide, but she lunged forward like a striking snake and pulled him into the swirl of dancers. "Would you really pass this up?" she whispered.

-xXx-

****

4. _**Take Me As I Am**_** – Jekyll & Hyde [musical]**

Shino stared down at his hands awkwardly. A bug crawled from beneath his sleeve and perched on the tip of his finger, but he only looked through it. Eyes blank behind his glasses, he steadily ignored his partner beside him.

"Please, Shino-_kun_." Hinata took his hands and let the bug crawl onto her own finger. "I trust you with my life. Why shouldn't I trust you with my heart?" She lifted her hand to her mouth and gently kissed the tiny insect.

-xXx-

****

5. _**Vengeful Person**_** – Naruto OST**

"I'll kill you!" Murderous fury tore through Sasuke's throat as he screamed, charging forward, Chidori crackling in his fist. With more than a little ease, Itachi again batted it away. The statues of the Valley of the End glared down at the the two brothers as Itachi lifted him by the throat and hurled him into the water.

Pulse pounding, Sasuke awoke, staring into the stars above. His new team slept peacefully around him (Suigetsu having fallen asleep on watch), and he wondered briefly what it meant when one lost a fight in his own dream.

-xXx-

****

6. _**The Tyranny of War**_** – The Forbidden Kingdom [movie]**

"Why is this happening?" Blue eyes streaming with tears, Naruto fell to the ground and clutched Sasuke's broken body. "Why are you doing this?"

Danzo stared down impassively with one eye, not speaking. Smoke and embers drifted through the scene from the buildings burning around them.

"You killed Sasuke!" Naruto lunged to his feet and screamed. A fierce, addicting power erupted within him, and everything vanished from there. The force of his scream buffeted Sasuke's broken corpse and threw it away.

The Kyuubi shrieked Naruto's pain, but Danzo only laughed. Ripping his bandages from his face, he stared into the demon fox's eyes and laughed.

Powerless before the _Sharingan_, the Kyuubi screamed again, rage and fear pummeling its fists against the cage of his being.

-xXx-

****

7. _**Heartless**_** – Kanye West**

"Hmph." The closest to a laugh Sasuke would ever allow himself to come, he let the man's body slide off his sword and fall to the ground.

"You didn't kill him." Sucking on his water bottle, Suigetsu sauntered up and stared down, then froze. "Oh. You did kill him."

"I said I would, didn't I?" With his foot, Sasuke rolled Kabuto's body over and knelt down to feel his pulse. The veins in his neck remained still, and Sasuke rose to his feet and walked away.

"Heartless bastard." With a shrug to Karin and Juugo, Suigetsu had little choice but to follow.

An hour later, Kabuto stumbled to his feet and swayed back and forth. Something was missing, something was gone, like a subtle coiling snake around his heart. "Orochimaru-_sama_?" he asked tentatively.

-xXx-

****

8. _**Nothing I Won't Give (Remix)**_** – Vic Mignogna**

"Sasuke, it doesn't matter." Blood frothing from his lips, Naruto could only grin. "You're back in Konoha. That's all that matters."

"You're a fool." Sasuke shoved him away and continued walking.

Naruto's body hit the wall with a sickening thud and slid to the floor, leaving a trail of crimson against the blue paint.

"No, Sasuke."

A new voice entering the scene, Sasuke turned, eyes wide, to feel the tip of a _sai_ thrust through his gut. Emotionless black eyes the same shade as his own met his.

Mustering all his willpower, Sasuke grabbed the hand holding the weapon, but his _Sharingan_ did nothing.

"You're weak." Sai stared at him and elegantly raised one foot to kick him in the knee, driving Sasuke to the ground. "Naruto may think you can be saved, but I won't give you that luxury."

"Sai, don't!" Breathing hard, Sakura dashed onto the scene, tears streaming from her eyes. "Please, don't kill him." Skidding to the ground, she poured her own _Chakra_ into him. "Please!"

-xXx-

****

9. _**Old Deuteronomy**_** – Cats [musical]**

Old Sarutobi patted the young girl's hair and smiled down at her. "Why don't you go home, Tenten?"

"Not... done... sir!" Ducking from his touch, she spun and hurled another _kunai_. "I can't prove myself by going home and sitting!"

"Provew yourself?"

"SO I can join a clan." As if it were the most natural thing, she stared at him. "I'm going to become part of a plan. They'll all fight over me."

"I see... that's admirable, but I think the little boy over there wants to walk you home." With a chuckle, Sarutobi stuck his hands in his pockets and wandered away.

Incredulous lining her young face, Tenten glanced over to see Hyuuga Neji leaning against the wall of the academy. "You're in a clan," she said. "You can take me home."

-xXx-

**10. _Winter Fall_ – L'arc-en-Ciel**

Snow drifted silently through the air and dusted her hair. Shikamaru resisted the urge to chuckle at her girlish wonder.

Temari ran through the snow and spun in a circle. "This is amazing!"

"Normal," he countered. "Though a dry desert woman like you wouldn't know that."

"You're an ass, Nara-_san_."

"As are you, Madame Ambassador." With a mocking bow, Shikamaru swept his hands through the snow piled at their feet. As he glanced up, he exhaled quickly in surprise and took a step back.

Standing directly before him, hands on her hips, Temari stared at him, a wicked grin quirking the corners of her lips. "As a dry desert woman," she said slowly, making sure he could hear every word. "Maybe you should demonstrate what snow is like."

"Wha–?"

She deftly hooked her foot behind his and shoved him to the ground, rubbing his head in the snow pile. "What do you think about that, huh?" With a triumphant laugh, she moved to walk away, but Shikamaru tripped her, forcing her to the ground beside him. "I don't know what you were expecting to accomplish, you troublesome woman," he whispered.

Quicker than sight, she lunged in to give him a quick kiss. Then, to his surprise, she grabbed a handful of snow and dumped it over his face, leaving him sputtering.

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A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated, and will be replied to as promptly as possible. Thanks for taking the time to read and for giving me your support! This is a really ambitious project for me, so I'd like to see it through to the end with your help!

--Jade


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